9/10 for The Lost Rivers in DiS (Posted By Harry)

“There’s an old German saying that good things come in threes. While such optimism doesn’t always translate to every situation or context, in the case of Deutschland’s latest musical export it serves as an apt introductory sentence. The Lost Rivers hail from the Stuttgart district of Baden-Wurttemberg, a region more renowned for its motor industry than music. Among their ranks is a bass player who goes by the name of Hell Pilot. Founder members, guitarist-cum-singer Phil Wolkendorf and drummer Izzy, actually toyed with the idea of creating an experimental noise band almost a decade ago. Inspired by boredom, it wasn’t until 2008 that The Lost Rivers came together in their present form, Wolkendorf’s experimental passages of layered, effects heavy guitars coupled with a brutal rhythm section rivalling fellow three-piece A Place To Bury Strangers for sonic terrorism.

Even then, it took a further two years for anyone outside of their homeland to pay attention. But when debut EP My Beatific Vision arrived as an import at the tail end of 2010, its excessive mix of melody and nihilism made it impossible to ignore. Having caught the attention of London-based label Northern Star, the EP finally received a UK release at the beginning of last year, promptly blowing the minds and ears of everyone brave enough to cross its path. What it did prompt was a hive of anticipation for the band’s long awaited first album.

Recorded in their hometown and self-produced by the band themselves, with Wolkendorf once again the main protagonist, Sin & Lostness is everything and more My Beatific Vision promised. Containing ten individual pieces of noise-infused melodrama and clocking in at just under an hour, it represents arguably the most devastating collection of songs to shake the shoegaze scene’s foundation in years…(Read More)